Helicos Files Suit Against PacBio
Luke Timmerman9/8/10
Cambridge, MA-based Helicos Biosciences (NASDAQ: HLCS), the maker of gene sequencing instruments, said today it has filed a lawsuit accusing Menlo Park, CA-based Pacific Biosciences of patent infringement. Helicos says it was the first to invent and market the technology known as single molecule sequencing, and that PacBio’s subsequent technology violates Helicos patents that extend to as far as 2028. PacBio, which is seeking to push the frontiers of faster/cheaper gene sequencing, filed paperwork last month for an attempt to raise $200 million through an IPO.
Luke Timmerman is the National Biotech Editor of Xconomy, and the Editor of Xconomy Seattle. E-mail him at ltimmerman@xconomy.com or follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ldtimmerman.
